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Kevin Potts

"Web Design and Marketing Solutions for Business Websites"

Do you wish to
debug????), but some websites are just as bad. Reading a stack of usability studies is not necessary
to understand that frustration quickly mounts when a person fails to correct a problem
because of poorly designed and obtusely written errors.
WEB DESIGN AND MARKETING SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINESS WEBSITES
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Error message design
Unfortunately, error messages need to look like error messages. Bold, obnoxious, and startling
are good characteristics. The key is to craft a design that melds with the overall site
but clearly stands out as an abnormal element??”you want people to understand there is
indeed a problem, but it??™s fixable and the world is in fact not ending.
The basic ingredient to successful error messages is capturing the attention of the user. If
an error message is too small, or not adequately separated through visual design, or is
placed somewhere in the stratosphere, then it completely fails to fulfill its destiny in the
universe and your audience is left with no choice but to go and spend their bucket of cash
elsewhere.
Intelligent placement. It??™s not uncommon for error messages to pop up completely out of
context near the header, below the form, or in the sidebar 500 pixels away from the
source of the problem.


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